BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: The long man's pillow
On Cherokee Worldview
1. What values are implicit in the Cherokee concepts of “the long man” and “going to the waters?”
2. By comparison, what values do people hold about water, and other vital resources, in contemporary mainstream American culture? How do these values influence behavior?
The Ethics of Scarcity
1. In a crisis, who should decide what is to be done with a vital resource? Why?
2. When facing a widespread shortage of vital resources, should people prioritize the needs of their own community over the needs of strangers? Why or why not?
3. Does the water shortage in Steen’s community change his right to do what he wishes with the resources on his land? Should there be a different set of laws for the ownership of, and profiting from, a resource that is vital to life?
The Economics of Scarcity
1. The Tragedy of the Commons is the idea that a resource held collectively will be exploited by all and protected by none. In the scenario depicted in the story, how does the concept of the Tragedy of the Commons come into play?
2. Ecologist Garrett Harding’s Lifeboat Dilemma has been used as an argument against helping the poor, since there are not enough resources to go around and when the haves give to the have-nots, they put society as a whole at risk. Do you agree with this argument? Why or why not?
3. If you disagree, what would be a practical alternative?
What Would You Have Done?
1. What would you have done if you were in Vicki’s situation? Would you have made the same choices? Why?
2. Do you agree more with Steen’s decision to fence off his spring and profit from his water source, or more with Alaric’s decision to hide his spring and dole out water to everyone in the area?
Xenophobia
1. The citizens of Cooper’s Forge display varying degrees of distrust and contempt for outsiders. Why do human groups, especially isolated ones, tend to be xenophobic?
2. What purposes are served by “othering” outsiders?
3. How can xenophobia be overcome?
For Fiction Writers!
The author used the Alignment System to develop the perspectives of the townspeople. Working individually or in small groups, where would you place the secondary characters, and why? (Vicki, as the point-of-view character, is at the center.)
Early Slade
Rennie Lyons
Bright Christmas
Althea Butler
Cool Breeze
Steen McMasters
Bill Pike
Alaric Olafsson
Tom Braddock
Susan Braddock